//------------------------------// // 12 // Story: Twilights Mane Passion // by Darkonshadows //------------------------------// It has been another strange year; Twilight thought things were going well in her life and she needed to finish her plan to move out of the crazy house that her parents lived in. There were always a few snags here and there, but she always found a way to untangle them. She had even managed to ask Tress if she could work on her mane today and here they were with Tress calmly sitting in front of Twilight. Twilight felt strange as Tress silently sat there with her eyes closed while she worked on her. Twilight really liked running a comb and brush through her mane, that she even trusted Twilight enough to trim her mane meant a lot. The friendship they forged continued to thrive, even though it was a bit of an oddity. After a few minutes of working the scissors with her magic, Twilight finally stopped and smiled. Tress’s mane was reshaped to how it normally was if a bit longer than usual. A long one length beautiful light blue mass hanging down halfway the length of her front legs. At least it wouldn’t drag on the ground after the light trimming Twilight just did. “Well Twilight, how are things going for your plans for the future?” Tress said as she stood up and stretched out, she presented her tail to Twilight so she could work on that now. Still though, Tress had little to no idea what to do with her life outside the comic world, the one thing she did want to do was support her friend in her endeavors. Tress still hadn’t told Twilight what it was she did while her unicorn friend was still busy going to Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. If only Twilight knew Tress was working with Fleur De Lis, she‘d probably freak out and ask if she could work with Fleur’s mane at least once or just talk to her about advanced magical theories. “I’m already considering some real estate in Ponyville; I found a place that would be perfect for Fluttershy to set up for what she does best. It’s at the edge of the town away from other ponies, it’s near a forest and it’s a relatively cheap plot of land, it sounds like a good bargain. I’m personally going for a building near the library, from what I hear no pony really uses Ponyville’s library for much anymore. If I’m lucky I can find a way to have Smart running it as a job and get free access to all the books I want.” Twilight had a dreamy look on her face, even as she carefully measured a length of Tress’s tail using the comb to hold the tail hair in place for the scissors. Twilight deftly trimmed her tail and she followed this up by slowly shaping the tail to fit how Tress liked it to look. “Why not live in the library yourself and be paid by the government to run it? Wouldn’t that make studying stuff all that much easier for you?” One of the things Tress certainly knew about Twilight, she certainly liked to read and study. Usually she was either studying some form of magic or she was picking through one of her previous issues of Mane Fancy magazine or a relatively new one. “Because why work at the library myself when I can send someone who wouldn’t really have need of the salary considering she doesn’t need to eat, drink or stop working as long as she gets enough sunlight in a week?” Twilight knew Tress had an idea of what she was getting at. “That means I’d be getting paid to do nothing at all. Smart can operate a library pretty well even with her limited spell casting capability and I’ve been working on her energy capacity for how much energy she can store and use in her body. I’m sure I can get her to be efficient enough to work a bunch of relatively low grade defensive enchantments on her own. Just the kind of defenses you’d expect a library to have.” “Yeah, if that library were in Celestia’s castle.” Tress had a reason to be snarky about this, Twilight was good at enchantments and what she considered low grade was nothing short of impressive. “Twilight you’re a wonderful pony, but I don’t think even you would want to subject robbers to that level of torment. The only thing that goes on there is wild parties being thrown by a pink pony.” “You better believe I’m going to put a stop to that, it’s a library not a pony’s personal party playhouse!” Twilight was every bit angry to hear how the library was currently being used, that it wasn’t operating like it should be. “Tress you know that still doesn’t answer my question. What do you want out of life? I’ve been done with your tail for a while now so you can lower it, do you want me to brush your coat too?” “I didn’t know I had a life until you pulled me from my world. Oh and yes I would like that, if you would please.” Tress blushed at Twilights comment about her tail still being raised and she quickly lowered it. She remembered Fleur asking about her personal stylist and how good a job she did with Tress’s look, Tress honestly answered that it was her best friends work. She didn’t tell Fleur that her friend was a fan of Fleur’s beauty and intelligence. “I really have no idea Twilight, what would you expect me to want to do? I have a special talent for making shampoo and body oil; you do know I’ve been working on that formula you’ve been having problems with. Aside from that I’m also good at running business’s and finance but I don’t want to go through all that stress of running all of that on my own again. Now if I can just get that formula that you made to work correctly.” Sitting down Tress felt her mane lift above her head, held aloft by Twilights magic as she started brushing the coat on her neck. Tress really liked how gently Twilight treated her when they got together like this and she would soon close her eyes so that Twilight could get her face too. “Tress, I’ve been having problems with that formula since forever. You really need to stop worrying about Fluttershy or me and you need to start caring about what you want out of life. I feel like you’re too good a friend for us sometimes and that we’re not giving you enough back. You should really take some personal time for yourself.” Twilight knew that it had taken Fluttershy half a year to automatically come out of her shell when she was around them, Tress really helped with that even if she caused a lot of problems doing so. It really had been an interesting year since Tress and Fluttershy moved in. Twilight just finished brushing Tress’s face and then would start on her back and sides, before she moved on to finish with her legs. Tress could take care of the other parts of her body herself. Tress wasn’t about to tell Twilight that being styled by her was what she considered to be personal time. She still thought Fluttershy was a pony to worry about because she hardly took her own health into consideration when someone else, animal or pony, was injured. Fluttershy has been studying first aid for the last few months and her kindness apparently had no limit cap on it, which was a bit worrying as some pony might take advantage of her. That would not happen while Tress was watchful, she didn’t have many friends and this was one friend she took to proactively protecting as Twilight and Fleur didn’t need someone to watch out for them. Other than that Tress still thought it was funny that Fluttershy was terribly afraid of scissors, as she only came to Twilight for a trim when her hair started to really get in the way of her legs. Fluttershy really enjoyed being brushed and combed by Twilight like Tress did. Tress had even confided in her that Twilight really knew how to make them enjoy being pampered. Fluttershy had agreed that Twilight was good at making them feel nice, but she still didn’t like it when Twilight brought the scissors out and that it made her terribly skittish. Fluttershy’s mane was like her security blanket when she wasn’t among ponies she trusted, at least she trusted Twilight enough to trim her mane when she needed it. “I’m fine Twilight, it’s just I never thought I’d be in another world or even separated from my dark reality. My reality that would have me constantly losing to a bunch of ponies in tights, no chance of winning even once and I would have liked it, enjoyed it even. There would have been ponies unlike you who would happily beat me up without a second thought to get out of the comic book. But now, I can’t even dream of even going back to that. If I somehow do end up going back to it, I’d be going back a more heroic version of Mane-iac.” Tress had a lot of time to think it over, if she ever did end up back in the comic world she was going to try to live up to her friendships. She shivered at the pleasant feeling of the brush sliding along her back. “So how many bits do you have and do you have enough for your ideal home? Just so you know, the only thing keeping me here in Canterlot is you, your parents, Fluttershy and your family’s cooking… when they get it right that is.” “With the extra money I’d be making from Smart working at the library, I’ll have enough to help a lot of ponies and start my own business. I’m thinking of working mostly as a freelance stylist, I really think I have a knack for this. I also want ponies to know they can come to me with their problems so I can help them out, so I’m thinking more of a problem solving agency.” Twilight was a dreamer and a big one at that, but even she knew the problems with what she was suggesting. They’d get a lot of business to be sure, but how would they know that whatever cause they were aiding was exactly a worthwhile one? “So what, it would be like a troubleshooting talent agency?” Tress liked the sound of that, Twilight did have a passion for helping others and it was an endearing quality. “I agree that you do have a talent for styling, but it’s not your special talent. Just being around you is like magic, now that’s your real special talent.” “Hmm… speaking of talent, I haven’t seen Trixie in the last five months.” Twilight finished off brushing down one of Tress’s legs as she said this. She had spent a lot of time at the gifted unicorn school trying to befriend that one stubborn acquaintance of hers, one that she would actively get into discussions with. “To think I was really so close to her admitting that we could be friends and she just disappears.” “Try not to think about it too hard.” Tress offered as she thought Trixie was a bit weird when they met that one time. From what Twilight has said of her, she used to be a very prideful braggart and was always referring to herself by her own name. “I really have to ask something now as you’ve garnered my curiosity about it. Why are you saving my mane and tail clippings and why did you fuse all the trimmed hairs together like that?” Twilight was afraid Tress would eventually ask about that, all the mane clippings were magically fused into a long lock of hair and set aside. The tail hair was done the same way, but separate from the combined mane clippings. She was afraid that Tress would hate her and stop being her friend when she found out about this. “Okay, please don’t freak out with what I’m about to tell you. I’m going to look at your hair under a microscope to see if you might still yet retain your Mane-iac powers, at the least in an inactive form.” It was the truth or at least half of it, Twilight hoped Tress didn’t press her about it. “Oh, so it’s not just because you have a hair fetish, well okay then.” After she shrugged, Tress stretched out one of her back legs and Twilight looked at her with a boggled expression. “Tell me the results when you get done studying my trimmings.” “You don’t care that I’m strangely attracted to hair?” Even as she said this, Twilight started brushing the leg, making sure to stay away from doing anything inappropriate. She really did not feel like getting kicked in the face today. “I’d be more worried if Fluttershy had a strange attraction to the animals she cares for and I’m glad she doesn’t. You’re not hurting any pony or yourself. As long as you don’t, I have no reason to bother you about your fixations.” Tress stretched out her other leg for Twilight to finish brushing her coat. “I'm glad I don’t have that kind of problem too and I don’t mind your fixation either. Please excuse me for using your bathroom.” As she said this, Fluttershy giggled at the way Twilight jumped as she made her way past them sitting at the mirror. She really needed to use the little pony’s room, the toilet in what was once Shining’s room currently had a poor monster stuck in it and she would take care of it after she was done using Twilight's. “So neither of you cares, but I’m still worried what my parents will think of me!” Twilight said out loud. “Its okay honey, we’ve known for years!” Night was heard shouting through the floor. “Not like all the Mane Fancy magazine’s wasn’t a big tip off to begin with!” Velvet followed afterwards with her own yell. “Could you guys keep it down; there’s a dragon that needs her beauty sleep here. So stop yelling about mom’s fascination with hair already!” Even barb was getting in on the act as her nap was disturbed leaving her a tad disgruntled. Twilight stood there completely red in the face; even then she still managed to finish brushing Tress. Then she quietly went to look for a secluded space to throw a hoof into her own face or silently smack her head against a wall.